by Delta James
He stepped back so that his groin was no longer in contact with her. “Spread your legs, mate.” He smiled when she willingly did so. He ran his strong hand down her flank and then between her legs. He growled possessively when he felt her slick juices pooling in her core awaiting his use. He thrust two fingers into her pussy and she inhaled sharply, pushed her bottom toward him, and allowed him easier access.
“What you deserve is what I’d originally intended—a good welting along with a mouth full of soap. But I find I am in the mood to be understanding and somewhat forgiving of my mate’s misbehavior.”
He removed his hand and grabbed a fistful of her hair. He led her to their bed where he sat down and drew her across his lap. It pleased him more than it should have that she didn’t resist in the least. Once he had her settled across his knee with her legs trapped between his, he raised his hand and brought it down on her bottom in a hard, staccato rhythm. Even though she knew it was coming, it took her breath away.
“Ow, Dylan, that hurts.”
“I’m sure it does. But not nearly as much as if I were using my belt.”
He covered both of her cheeks with red handprints and then gave some attention to her sit spots and the backs of her thighs. She struggled and squirmed to try to get away from his spanking, but not so much that he felt she was trying to avoid what she knew she deserved. He recognized that being spanked hurt and did not expect a girl to lie limp across the knee of the man disciplining her.
He continued to land hard blows on his target areas until he heard her begin to cry. He knew that crying was especially important to Skylar as it let him know he’d gotten through her anger and pride. He stopped for a moment to gauge the color of her bottom. He deemed it red enough for his purposes.
“When next you see Nick, you are to apologize again to him for your bad behavior. Should you disrespect him again, I will not be nearly as lenient with you as I have been this afternoon.” He freed her legs. “Go back and stand in the corner, Skylar.”
She got up quietly and went back to her corner. Before she could turn away from him, he could see that her nipples were hard. He sniffed and smiled. She was even more aroused than before he put her across her knee.
Skylar was only in the corner for a few minutes when he approached her. She couldn’t repress her smile any more than she could stop her body from responding to his presence and knowing what was coming. Once again, he ran his hand down her buttocks in a very possessive manner. She winced.
Dylan pulled her close to him. He said nothing but ran the backs of his hands up and down the sides of her body. It was comforting and yet erotic. Her nipples ached for his touch. The arousal that had begun when he put her over his knee and began to spank her burst forth. She could feel her body preparing to take his cock—her labia were swollen and she was producing more than enough of the slick juices he would need to satisfy them both. Skylar’s breathing became faster and more shallow.
Dylan nuzzled her neck and then nibbled down along the top of her shoulders. She tried to steady herself against the wall but felt her legs had become like wet noodles. When his hand reached up the front of her body to cup her breast and slide his fingers across her turgid nipple, she moaned deeply. His groin was now pressed against her punished bottom and all she wanted was for him to be closer.
As his one hand continued to play with her breasts, the other ran down the planes of her abdomen to delve between her legs. He rubbed her clit in a circular motion as he whispered kisses along her neck and spine. Dylan continued to weave his web of erotic pleasure and she responded. The hand between her legs sought her core. He traced the outer lips of her sheath. She felt she was coming undone before he plunged his fingers into her and stroked her ever so lightly.
The deeply satisfied and aroused chuckle she heard let her know he knew exactly what he was doing and the effect it was having on her body. As he removed his hand from between her legs, she moaned in frustration. His hand slipped down her bottom and she could feel him opening his fly. His hard cock sprang free of its confinement and sought one that would hold it even more snugly. Taking both of her hips in his hands, Dylan stepped between her legs, steadied her and mounted her, driving deep.
Skylar felt her knees buckle. Only the strength of his embrace kept her from falling. She gasped at the intensity of his possession. He began to plow her pussy. Skylar had to lock her knees and lean heavily on the wall. Were it not for the wall and Dylan’s hold of her, she would have collapsed. He continued to drive in and out of her core with a determined strength. He growled low in her ear in a way she had come to know wasn’t anger or displeasure, but rather one of possession and passion. She only barely recognized her answering growl as the one being possessed.
The sound of her response and the tightening walls of her pussy signaled her oncoming climax. Recognizing the signs of her imminent orgasm, he withdrew his cock almost to the point of clearing her entrance and poised there. Her growl of passion became one of frustration bordering on rage. Dylan’s response was to nuzzle her neck and chuckle before driving back into her. The growl became a whimper as she gave herself over to his mastery of her body.
Pulling her closer, Dylan once again began to thrust within her with greater force and depth. The head of his cock felt like it was hitting her deepest recesses and she writhed beneath his onslaught. She let go of any cognizant thought and focused on the way he pleasured her and made use of her body. He rode her hard and demanded her complete surrender to his dominance. She could do nothing but obey.
“Now,” he whispered as he increased the frenzy with which he was coupling with her. She felt the wellspring of her orgasm begin to burst forth as he continued to drive in and out. Her mind barely registered the discomfort caused by his groin repeatedly slamming into her bruised backside. All she knew was his possession, his dominance, and his demand for her submission. Skylar cried out as her pussy spasmed and he began to release himself. As his semen came forth, her body responded by tightening the walls of her pussy repeatedly as if to milk every last drop of his seed from his body.
He withdrew from her and turned her to face him, drawing her to him so that he could plunge his tongue into her mouth the way he had just plunged his cock deep into her pussy. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her body into his. He ended the kiss by sweeping her up in his arms and taking her into their shower. He set her down on her feet and stripped himself of his clothes, joining her under the hot, cascading water.
Once they had showered, they dressed and went to rejoin their guests. The knowing smiles of both the male members of her pack and the invited alphas made her blush. They were well aware of what had kept her from acting as hostess. Dylan kept her close to his side the rest of the afternoon.
Skylar was surprised when Jean-Michele joined them for dinner making his apologies for his mate. He went out of his way to introduce himself to Skylar and then asked Dylan if he might speak to him and Skylar after dinner.
Dinner was relaxed and it eased some of Skylar’s fears to see the women formerly of Bae Diogel, those who had not been disciplined by Nick and confined to their rooms, seemingly relaxed and enjoying themselves. She was impressed with the quality of men present and the fact that none seemed overly arrogant or entitled. She leaned over to her mate and kissed his cheek. He raised his eyebrow to her and she just shrugged her shoulders. He chuckled and leaned over to kiss her on the mouth. Pack members of Calon Gwyllt smiled. Seeing their alpha happily mated was cause for celebration.
After dinner, as the weather was so pleasant, Skylar directed their guests to the patio where she’d had Thomas set up for dessert. She saw their chef headed back to his kitchen and excused herself from Dylan to speak with him.
“Thomas, a moment?”
“But of course, mistress. How may I assist you?”
“First, your meal this evening was superb. I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed anything so much. And the way you’ve been keeping everyone
well supplied with food and drink all day. Please convey my thanks to your staff. Did anyone direct you to have food sent up to Summer, Gina, and Darby?”
“Yes, mistress. Nick said the two he had to discipline were to be given anything they wanted, except that Summer was not allowed dessert. Does she have a sugar intolerance?”
Skylar laughed. “No, she has an extraordinary sweet tooth… and also quite a mouth on her. My guess is that Nick took her dessert away as part of her punishment. What about Darby?”
The old man grinned. “Her new mate came down himself to ask me to make her a plate. He asked me if I knew anything of which she was especially fond and if so he asked that it be given to her. He seemed quite concerned that she be taken care of and wanted to ensure that provision had been made for the man he left on her door.”
“Thank you, Thomas. I should have trusted that the girls would be looked after. It’s a hard habit to break.”
“I would think especially so for one with such a kind heart.”
Skylar smiled again and squeezed his forearm before rejoining Dylan. She was glad to see that Nick and Bianca were in conversation with both Dylan and one of the invited alphas. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember which one he was.
Bianca joined her and gave her a hug. “Everything all right with Thomas? I think he’s doing a good job.”
“I couldn’t agree more. I was fretting about the girls because I forgot for a moment that those at Calon Gwyllt care for all those who dwell here regardless of their behavior.”
Dylan leaned down and kissed her.
She continued, “Nick, I want to apologize again for disrespecting you earlier today. It was uncalled for. You had done nothing but follow Dylan’s orders and didn’t need to see the wrong side of my temper.”
“All is forgiven, Skylar. Your girls have all been dealt with and left in their rooms. Should they continue to behave they may rejoin us in the morning.”
Skylar smiled. “I understand Summer will most likely be looking for a sugar fix.”
Nick laughed. “Considering some of the language she used, I thought a mouth full of soap with nothing to sweeten it was appropriate.”
Skylar laughed. “You think Summer is bad? Good thing you never heard Roz when she got worked up.”
Chapter Seventeen
At the end of the evening, guests began to head back toward their assigned rooms. Many of the men stopped to speak briefly with Dylan to thank him for the invitation and let him know the women of Bae Diogel were lovely.
Jean-Michele hung back and Skylar approached him and asked if she could show him to Dylan’s study. He followed her into the study and closed the doors behind him.
“Let us be honest with each other. You are not happy about any of this, save maybe finding your own mate. You are concerned for your girls and most likely at this moment for my Darby.”
“How honest would you like me to be?”
He laughed. “As honest as you want. This conversation and the way it is delivered goes no further than me.”
“Then yes, I’m quite concerned about Darby. The bastard she was previously mated to beat her repeatedly. You should have taken care with how you disciplined her. Did anyone tell you any of her background?”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “Not until this afternoon. I know that the bastard to whom she was mated before beat her. Dylan sent detailed dossiers on each of the girls to those of us who were invited. I must confess, I only scanned them. Having gone back and read Darby’s, there is mention of her abuse. But she is not the delicate, traumatized victim you would make her out to be. She took her spanking quite well. Oh, she kicked and cursed and carried on like you girls are wont to do, but she never showed an ounce of fear. She knows she deserved to be spanked for her little escapade this afternoon. She heard me call to her. She ran anyway. She is my life mate. Seeing that bastard’s mark on her is repugnant to me, but I know being marked by me is repugnant to her so I would ask for your insight on whether or not to mark her tonight as my own.”
“And if I were to tell you that she would hate you forever if you forced your mark on her?”
He laughed again. “I would tell you that was impossible. No one can hate me for long if I choose to be charming. And I assure you, I will use all of my charm on my mate. She said it would not, but I would ask you, would it make her heart more at ease to know the bastard who harmed her was dead?”
“Would you kill him for her?”
“Within the space of a heartbeat.”
Skylar watched him carefully. He played the charming rogue quite well, but underneath the charismatic veneer was the heart of a true alpha—a strong, passionate man who would not think twice about killing someone before they had harmed or for having harmed those he loved.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I honestly don’t think she cares enough about him to want him dead. He beat the hell out of her on a regular basis, but I don’t think he ever scared her. I think if she’d wanted him dead, she would have killed him the night she had the chance at Bae Diogel. She worried that somehow it would come back on us if he died, but by sending him home with his tail between his legs he would keep our secret safe. And it did. It’s not removing his mark that bothers her; it’s being marked at all.”
“But she is a wolf born, not turned. She understands the call of a life mate and the need for her mate to mark her, not just for his own innate egotistical reasons but for her safety as well.”
“Yes, but at Bae Diogel by banding together we saw to our own safety.”
He pointed at Dylan’s mark. “But you bear his mark and he would have had to have removed your previous mate’s mark. Did that not bother you?”
“I dislike being marked at all. As I told Dylan, those of you doing the marking seem to forget how painful it is to those of us being marked.”
“Hmmm. You have given me much to consider…”
Dylan joined them. “My apologies for keeping you waiting. I see my mate has been entertaining you.”
“Enlightening as well as entertaining. You are well matched to your mate, my friend. She will be an excellent addition to your pack as my Darby will be to mine. To that end, I wondered if you had given any thought to placing another of your girls within my pack? I thought perhaps with a member of her former pack it might make transitioning back into a more traditional pack easier for her.”
“The Ruling Council wouldn’t care for it, nor would a number of the men here. As it is there aren’t enough to go around.” Dylan leaned over and kissed Skylar. “And I know your girls aren’t candy to be passed around. But you didn’t find the rest of them objectionable, did you?”
“No, quite the contrary, with the exception of that rogue from New Orleans, they seemed a rather likeable lot,” Skylar said, liking Jean-Michele in spite of herself.
“You wound me, mistress,” Jean-Michele laughed.
Dylan chuckled as well. “I can’t get them right all of the time.” Then he sobered. “Did you have anyone in mind?”
“I would be open to any of them. They’re all lovely. Some a bit more spirited than others, but nothing that we can’t handle. I brought three of my unmated men with me but have another five at home.” He smiled. “I must say that all three of the men with me have expressed a strong interest in being gifted with any of these girls, but one I think may have heard a calling.”
“Your beta?”
Jean-Michele nodded. “Indeed. If it’s true, and I have yet to speak of it to him, I would choose to see him mated. As you well know, a strong beta is an alpha’s best asset notwithstanding a beautiful mate. And the strongest beta is one well mated.”
Skylar laughed at him. She guessed that he was right; few could withstand his charm should he choose to exert it. “But a good beta keeps his alpha safe.”
“But what is safety compared to she who loves you and keeps you warm at night?”
Both Dylan and Skylar laughed out loud.
Dylan turn
ed to Skylar. “Darby doesn’t stand a chance. He’ll win her over in no time.”
Skylar nodded in agreement.
“So, who has he set his eye on?” asked Dylan.
“Megan. Are she and Darby friends by chance?”
“Everyone was friends at Bae Diogel. Darby was probably closest to Anna as they both have a penchant for puzzles and electronics. But certainly, she and Megan were good friends. Dylan, I do think it might be easier for Darby if Megan was there. Meg tends to be exceedingly pragmatic. If your beta is her true mate, she will most likely be easily won over and could help with Darby.”
“Before we make any decisions, I would like to get Megan’s thoughts on the matter.”
Jean-Michele rose. “By all means. But you aren’t dead set against allowing two to return to New Orleans with us. I can tell my beta there is a chance?”
Dylan nodded and shook Jean-Michele’s hand. Jean-Michele left the room and Matthew and Nick entered. Skylar went to take her leave of them. “Where are you off to, mate? I had hoped you would participate in our discussions.”
She rejoined them. “Thank you. I take it the topic will be the girls?”
“Yes. I would ask if over the course of the next day, you can see if any of them are leaning toward anyone here. But I would welcome all of your observations from today.”
“I think our room needs painting. There are small cracks in the corner. I got to study them at length.”
There was absolute silence until the three ranking males of Calon Gwyllt burst into laughter.
“Pick the color, cariad, and I will see it done within the week.”
“I was teasing.”
“But I was not. This is your home and that is our room. I want you to change it any way that will please you.”
“Any way?” Dylan nodded. “Hmmm,” she said. “I wonder how they will get rid of all those pesky corners?”
Dylan shook his finger at her. “My mate seeks to tease me. You are very brave.”
She grabbed his finger in her hand and allowed him to pull her into his lap. “I have nothing to fear.”